High School Musical: An Alternate Start
by potterfanxp123
Summary: What would have happened if Troy and Gabriella had skipped the 'party', and met under different circumstances? Find out!


**DISCLAIMER: **_I do not own, _High School Musical_ or any of the associate characters contained herein. I also, in accordance, do not own the song _Reaching for Heaven_ which I'm using as a premise to this fic._

As he entered the pool lounge, where a large party was taking place for those teens whose parents wanted to be with people their own ages, Troy couldn't help the yawn that escaped his mouth. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy parties, but this just wasn't his type of scene. The parties of which he was accustomed never included punch, or any other drink for that matter, but sweat and hard work. 

Made worse by the costumed party-goers, a habit he refused to find himself in under any circumstance, the party just screamed unplanned, last-minute though the signs had been up for the better part of the last week he'd spent at the ski resort. 

The room was decorated with Christmas decorations that hadn't been yet taken down, white lights other than the usual red, yellow, blue and green. All-in-all, the atmosphere just made him tired. 

The singers one the stage stopped singing, as Troy stepped into the shadow of a large pillar, glad for a moment when it skipped over him. 

Taking his chance, Troy slipped past the partiers and out, into the cold, frozen air. 

_It isn't that I hate to sing,_ he said to himself, his voice filling the air with warm, soothing sounds. As the mis-managed sounds of, "Start of Something New", filled the air, he was glad that he'd chosen to skip that particular ritual. 

To bad he wasn't the only one. 

To say that she thought his voice was beautiful, would be an understatement. As Gabriella Montez walked silently after the muscular teen, her counterpart in the crime of party skipping, she couldn't help but listen to what he was singing. __

"All my life, there was just me and my dreams.  
And the days went ticking by, like the beat of my heart.  
Spent my nights, wondering how it would feel.  
When the waiting would end, and tomorrow would start.

Gabriella was mesmerized. Sure, she'd been singing in the church choir for as long as she could remember, it was something her mother had insisted she do, since she refused to sing anywhere else. 

Out in public, when she tried to sing, she'd always end up freezing, her panic sending her voice cracking horribly. Not to mention the one event, the start and end of her solo carrier, when she auditioned for, and won the last spot at talent night. 

She closed her eyes, the song wrapping it's web around her. Before she even understood what was happening, she had interrupted the brown haired guy, who stopped his unknowing serenade. __

Suddenly I see the light.  
Out of the darkness I'm coming alive.  
So this is how it feels, reaching for heaven!  
This is how it feels, kissing the sky.  
This is what it means, touching forever.  
Like a phoenix, rising from the flames.  
I'm reaching for heaven. 

The guy, frozen in place at her sudden uprising, instantly went silent. Gabriella laughed as he turned, his wide, blue eyes suddenly taking an embarrased notice, and his cheeks reddening. 

Really, it was amusing to see the sparkle in his eye, though. It wasn't a wonder, then, that he started again, this time challenging her with his eyes. 

_ "All this time, I never knew I was so strong.  
But you made me find the fire.  
That was there all along.  
_

She laughed, her eyes shining as she recognized his ploy. Gabriella's eyes narrowed momentarilly, before she took a breath. Her voice displayed a new amount of emotion that she'd never remembered experiencing before. She felt, for once, in control. 

_ In your eyes, I can see all I can be.  
Suddenly, I wander off.  
I know you'll catch me, whenever I fall! _

She saw her mystery partner's eyes widen as she leaned backward into him. He reached out, deftly catching her and pushing her forward. Gabriella felt a flush come onto her cheeks and pulled away, her arms swinging out as he began singing, her arms embracing the wind around her. 

_ This is how it feels, reaching for heaven.  
This is how it feels, kissing the sky.  
This is what it means, touching forever.  
Like a phoenix rising from the flames.  
I'm reaching for heaven._

As his tenor voice quieted, Gabriella gave herself a quick, inaudible laugh. She was with a perfect stranger, singing _and_ having fun. It was exhilarating, to be honest. She wasn't sure why, though. Taking a breath as he watched her carefully, Gabriella began singing again. 

_ You alone have shone me.  
Shining new horizons. _

Her partner smiled, his tenor voice matching her soprano. 

_ Now for all I owe you.  
It's my turn to show you! _

Acting as one, Gabriella reached out and grasped her partner's warm hand. They were really enjoying themselves, she realized. Almost like kindergarten. The thought, along with the song, brought a smile to her lips. As one, their voices sounded together. 

_ This is how it feels, reaching for heaven.  
This is how it feels, kissing the sky.  
This is what it means, touching forever!  
Like a phoenix, rising from the flames._

_I'm reaching for heaven._ she sang, reaching her free hand to the sky. Her partner laughed, his arm raising to match hers as, as one, they fell into a deep pile of snow.  
_I'm reaching for heaven._ he matched. Her eyes widened, as small snowflakes fell into his hair, the pale moonlight reflecting off. She nearly bent in to kiss him, before her common sense took hold, as well as a small blush. He, she noticed, looked as uncomfortable as she did. 

Almost in unison, their voices lowered, as the crescendo of the song began. She took the first, he the second. Together, they finished the song in perfect harmony. 

_ This is how it feels, kissing the sky.  
This is what it means, touching forever.  
Like a phoenix rising from the flames.  
I'm reaching for heaven.  
Heaven!_

As their impromptu duet sounded, the boy shyly reached forward, his hand grasping hers in a less-than-intimate way, and he hastily said, "Troy." 

"Gabriella," she said. 

_End_


End file.
